Shoe inseam trimming machines



Jan. 10, 1956 c. w. BAKER SHOE INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 20, 1955 iii Invenfor 00? win W50, ke r Jan. 10, 1956 c. w. BAKER SHOE INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 20, 1955 I nvenfor Corwz'zz WBQ ker "km W Jan. 10, 1956 c. w. BAKER SHOE INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 20, 1955 Jan. 10, 1956 c. w. BAKER SHOE INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 20, 1955 Inventor Corw'b'n WBa/L er United States Patent SHOE INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINES Corwin W. Baker, Melrose, Pa., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemingtn,. N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 20, 1955, Serial No. 483,089

Claimsi. (Chill-P82) This invention relates to machines for trimming the inseams of partially fabricated welted shoes, and more particularly to improvements in a machine of the rotaryknife type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,226,872, granted May 22, 1917, on an application filed in the name of Andrew Eppler.

In the manufacture of a Goodyear welt shoe theupper leather, lining and the welt are stitched to a reinforced rib preformed around the bottom of the insole near its edge. Around the toe end of the shoe there are additional layers of material, including a box toe and frequently a doubler sandwiched between the upper leather and the lining, which layers are also secured; to the rib by means of the stitching. The reinforced rib, plus the marginal portions of the upper materials and, welt which are joined to the rib, together with the chain stitches that form the joint are, in the art, generally: referred to collectively as the inseam of the shoe, although technically the inseam is only the joint formed by the line of stitches.

One criterion of modern shoemaking requires that the forepart of a Goodyear we t shoe, particularly at the ball of the foot, be made as flexible as possible without sacrificing durability, for which this type of shoe is well known. Because the inseam is formed as a projection on the insole it acts similar to the web of an l-beam and tends to resist bending. It is therefore llficessary to restrict the height of the inseam to a minimum to maintain flexibility. Furthermore, the inseam must be trinimed as close as possible to the flesh side of the welt, but without severing the line of stitches which obviously. would weaken the shoe, so. that the outsole may be sewn fiat to the welt without the inseam causing it to bulge.

An object of this, invention is to provide an improved machine which will trim the inseam oi a shoe closqto, the flesh side of the welt without, severing the stitches joining e. p e s ofthe n eam After the inseam has been sewn but before it is trimmed the surplus materials above, the stitches (the inseam being sewn with the shoe, bottom upwards), including a reinforcing material, usually canvas, which is used, to. strengthen the, insole rib, are often inadvertently bent inward and overlie the inner area of the insole In order to trim the inseam close to the. flesh side of the weltand substantially parallel to the. insole, these bent, over. pork tions of the inseam must be liitqd. away irorrr the insole, and held in an erect positlonsltbsialltially at right angles to the plane of the welt and radially of the trimming knife.

Another object of this invention is to provide a trimming machine in which the portions of the. insearn whichy are to be trimmed are lifted andpresented to thetrimming knife in an erect position substantially at right angles to the welt and radially of the trimming, ignite, so that a cut may be made parallel to the flesh side of the welt and as close thereto as the location of the stitches will allow.

After the inseam is sewn, the outer edgejof the welt is usually found to be curved around the upper leather, the welt having been drawn out of the plane parallel to the shoe bottom inwhich it was sewn. This occurrence is known as strapping and arises because in bending the welt around the contours of the shoe the fibers of the welt furthest from the inseam. stitches are placed under tension and those nearest the stitches are placed under compression making the welt bend to equalize these opposed stresses. This condition is emphasized as the welt is sewn around the toe of the shoe which is curved more sharply than the sides. The welt is temporarily returned to a substantially horizontal plane during inseam trimming by the gripping action of the feed mechanism but thereafter springs back when the shoe is removed from the maehine. In order to return the welt permanently to a plane substantially parallel to the shoe bottom, i e., the insole, so that the outsole subsequently may be sewn to it, the welt is subjected to a separate process known in the art as welt beating. Often it is necessary in the heating process to slash diagonally the outer edge of the welt to reduce fiber tension. This naturally tends to weaken the welt. Applicant has found that stretching the outer fibers of the Welt during the inseam trimming process will in some instances eliminate the necessity of welt beating, particularly when the Welt is of relatively light weight, and on heavier welting will substantially reduce the amount; of slashing required.

Another object of this invention is to, provide a machine which not only trims effectively the, inseam of a welted shoe,- butalso stretches the fibers of the Welt to counteract "strapping, the tendency of the welt to bend around the upper leatherof the shoe away from the plane parallel to the shoe bottom in which plane it was sewn.

In the machine disclosed in the patent to Eppler, the cup-shaped trimmingknife rotates counterclockwise when viewed in the direction of feed, resulting in a cutwhich progresses from the inside edg of the inseam outwardly,

i. e., from the insole rib outwardly of the shoe toward the outer periphery of the welt. Often a surplus of material in the form of an untrimmed flash comprising leather, canvas, and a tarry substance (part of the bog toe), is deposited irregularly along the flesh side of the welt, This deposit or flash is caused partly by a dullltnife that has an'accumulation t tar on it and partly by the fact that the untrimmed surplus portions of" the upper materials and box toe extend above the welt, and being, unsupported and free to bend inward over the insole before trimming, are likewise free during the trimming operation to. bend oub ward over the welt under the cutting force of the knife blade, thus contributing to an uneven out. Should this deposit or flash be permitted to remain on the surface of the welt it would interfere with the subsequent attaching of the outsole andv result inundesirable bulges and gaps between the contacting surfaces of he W ll and the outsole. Thus, the additional step of removing the flash is required. Applicant has found that if. the cut is made in the opposite direction, i. e.,, inwardly from the welttoward e in ole. rib. an the i sea a qua ely supp r ed in n erec o it os to the n fe dg he flash is stantially reduced. nd th small amo that is fomled not; injurious; to the finished. shoe,.since. it collects inwardly of the trimmed inseam in. the space that is subsequently intentionally filled with. deposits of filler material.

Stillanother object of this invention is to provide an inseam trimming machine which produces a out such that the formation oftrimming flash is reduced to a minimum and the small amount of flash which may be produced in the trimming process is not deposited on the flesh side of the welt but rather collects inwardly of the trimmed inseam in the space that is subsequently intentionally filled with deposits of filler material.

As stated previously, the toeward portion of the inseam includes, not onlythe layers of upper leather and lining material, but also has sandwiched between them a box toe and frequently a doubler. This additional material, plus pleats unavoidably formed in thetoe lasting operation, make the inseam thicker at the toe than along the sides. Since the inseam is generally sewn bottom upward on a curved needle sewing machine the stitches through the thickened area around the toe of the shoe are higher than along the sides. That is, they extend farther away from the marginal featherline of the insole. The flesh side of the welt is generally grooved slightly to receive the line of stitches in order that they may lie close to or flush with its surface. Consequently, as the stitches are higher around the toe of the shoe, so is the welt, and if the inseam were trimmed as near to the marginal feather line of the insole around the toe of the shoe as it is along the sides, the stitches would be severed and the welt skived.

Conversely, if it were trimmed as high along the sides as it is at the toe to avoid cutting the stitches, the side portions of the inseam would extend well above the flesh side of the welt and make it difficult to sew the outsole to the welt without bulging.

In the prior machine the height of cut is regulated with the insole bottom as a datum plane. Theinner surface of the inseam, i. e., the insole rib, is engaged by a rib guide or channel guide" capable of yielding in response to the thicker portions of the inseam. This guide also contacts the surface of the insole in the channel formed when the rib is raised thereon, thus the name channel guide." The channel guide contacting the insole determines the height of the cut. The shoe is fed by a feed wheel which has a dished or concave upper surface and a frusto-conical lower surface contacting the flesh side of the welt. The trimming knife rotates within this concave upper surface and is spaced from the welt by the thickness of the feed wheel. No provision is made in the machine for trimming the toe portion of the inseam at a greater height than the sides to guard against cutting the stitches around the toe. To avoid this and still assure a sufficiently close trim on the sides, skilled operators have adopted the practice of elevating the heel of the shoe to rock it about the channel guide which acts as the pivot point in order to lower the toe, and reversing this procedure as the side portions of the shoe are being trimmed. This practice requires exceptional skill and if not correctly timed results in faulty trimming. It is also commonly found that as the shoe is rocked the knurled edge of the channel guide often gouges portions of the insole, since the channel guide is the pivot pointabout which the rocking takes place. Gouging of the insole obviously is to be avoided as it naturally tends to weaken the shoe. This problem has been recognized and one solution offered in United States Letters Patent No. 2,231,041, granted February 11, 1941, to J. M. Whelton, but which requires substantial changes in the feeding apparatus resulting in a more costly machine.

Applicant has found that if the rib guide is not permitted to touch the insole bottom and the height of cut is regulated from the welt rather than the insole bottom, gouging will be eliminated, and the inseam will be trimmed at a uniformly close distance from the stitch line all around the shoe without requiring the skill of the operator to avoid severing the stitches.

Accordingly, another object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive shoe machine which will trim the inseam close to the stitch line at a uniform distance from the line all around the shoe and which eliminates the need for human skill required to avoid severing the stitches at the toe portion of the shoe.

Still another object is to provide a trimming machine wherein the possibility of toe gouging is eliminated. 7

With the above objects in view and as a feature of the chines.

invention, the improved machine, though similar to the prior machines in that it has a tubular or cup-shaped trimming knife rotatable on a horizontal axis, adjustable heightwise of the machine, and along the. axis, is unlike the prior machines in that the inseam is fed against the lower edge of the rotating knife by means of a small power driven cylindrical feed wheel which rotates on a substantially horizontal axis. The feed wheel contacts the flesh side of the welt and is so constructed as to lie very close to the edge of the knife but does not limit how close the knife edge may approach the surface of the welt as, for example, in the Eppler and Whelton ma- A welt-crease guide functioning in a manner similar to the guides disclosed in the prior patents is employed to press the Welt against the feed wheel. The direction of feed of the inseam at any given time is sub stantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the trimming knife. However, in accordance with one of the objects of the invention, the fibers of the welt are stretched in a direction outward of the shoe to counteract strapping by virtue of the fact that the feed Wheels axis of rotation is adjusted to form an acute angle with the direction of feed and the edge of the knife.

As another feature of the invention, cooperating with the cylindrical feed wheel and welt-crease guide to grip the inseam and feed the shoe, is a rib guide that contacts only the inner side of the reinforced insole rib, a sepa;

5 rate non-rotating depth gage contacting the shoe bottom.

The rib guide, mounted on a novel bracket, rotates on an axis which extends downwardly and toward the bottom edge of the knife, forming an acuate angle with the shoe bottom so that it imparts a component of force against the inseam, not only in the horizontal direction to assist feeding, but also vertically upward away from the surface of the insole whereby any bent-over portions of the inseam materials, including the canvas rib reinforcing material, are lifted and held erect as the inseam is trimmed. The inclined axis of the rib guide also permits the guide to assume a position closer to the bottom of the knife edge which, unlike the prior machines, now rotates toward the rib guide rather than away from it, the rib guide thus supporting the inseam against the force of the knife to keep the inseam from bending during trimming so as to reduce the formation of trimming flash.

As still another feature, the axis of rotation of the rib guide, in addition to being inclined downwardly toward the bottom edge of the knife, is also inclined toward the cylindrical feed wheel and welt-crease guide, its mounting bracket being pivoted about an axis parallel to the axis of the knife.' The rib guide is spring-biased against the inseam and will yield downwardly away from the feed wheel when the thickened area of the inseam is being trimmed. The tip of the depth gage which is also mounted on the bracket yields with the rib guide and moves the shoe downward slightly, thus maintaining the cut. in avantages gained thereby will best be understood from a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation on a reduced scale of the head of an inseam trimming machine embodying the principles of the present invention and having parts broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a right side elevation of the head of the ma chine;

Fig. 3 is a section alone line iii-III of Fig. 2, on a larger scale and with the knife unsectioned partially broken away;

Fig. 4 is a .view partly in section along line lV-EV of Fig; 3, with the knife removed for clarity;

but but Fig. 5 is a section along line 'V'V of Pig. 3 on an welted shoc,,the inseamot whichis in the process of be ing trinimed;

Fig. 7 is a full scale sectionof a welted shoe taken at its widest part during inseam trimming and showing part of the trimmingmachine; and

Fig. 8 is a full scale; section of a welted shoe taken at its widest part prior to inseam trimming.

The construction of the inseam of the usual welted shoe is illustrated in Figs. 6 through 8. Fig. 6 represents the bottom of a partially fabricated shoe on a last as trimming takes place, the inseam extending upward away from the insole. Figs. 7 and 8 show a section through the shoe and last taken at a point slightly heelward of the ball line at the widest part of the shoe, Fig. 7 during. trimming, and Fig. 8 before trimming. The following elements are included: a last 2; an insole 4, a welt 5, a preformed insole rib 6, a canvas rib reinforcing material 8, an upper leather 10, a lining 12, a box toe 14, a doubler 16, and a line of stitches 18 that form the actual inseam joint.

To sever the excess portions of the inseam above the stitch line 18 there is provided a trimming knife 20 which is a rotatable cup-shaped tubular trimming cutter of wellknown construction, which may, if desired, be ribbed on its inner. surface in order to provide a scalloped cutting edge. The knife rotates about a horizontal axis 22 (Figs. 1. and 4) and the peripheral cutting edge or the crests of the scalloped edge lie in .a plane P (Fig. 6) normal to the axis of rotation 22. The knife is adjustable in the machine in a manner similar to that disclosed in the Eppler patent and will only be described briefly here; The knife may be moved lengthwise along its axis 22 by means of an adjusting. screw 24, Fig. 1, and is raised and lowered diagonlly by a second adjusting screw 26. The knife is sharpened by means of a grinding wheel 23 (Fig. 2) of well-known construction which likewise opcrates in the manner disclosedin the Eppler patent.

The machine has a frame 30 in which is journaled themain driving shaft 32 which receives its power from. any convenient means as, for example, a motor driven belt and pulley 34. Shaft 32 is driven counterclockwise when viewed in the direction of feed, as in Fig; 2 which represents the right-hand side of the. machine as seen by the operator. Rotation is imparted to the trimming. knife 20 through a gear train comprising. a gear 36 mounted directly on shaft 32 meshing with a gear 40 secured to a second shaft 42 journaled inthe frame 3h. The gear 40 drives, by means of an idler pinion 43;. a gear 44. connected to the knife 20. Thus, it will be seen that. the direction of rotation of the knife is clockwise when viewed in the direction of feed.

Cooperating to feed and guide the shoe toward the knife, as best shown in Fig. 7,. are a cylindrical feed wheel 48,. a welt-crease guide 50, and a rotating rib guide 52 in addition to a depth gage 54 all mounted adjacent the lowest point of the cutting. edge of. the knife.v The weltcrease guide 50, of known construction, is shaped and mounted on the machine to enter the crease between the grain side of the welt 5 and the upper leather It to press the welt upward against the cylindrical feed wheel 48 and also to restrict lateral movement of the shoe. The cylindrical feed wheel 48. has a knurled periphery 55 engageable with the fiesh side' of. the welt. The rib guide52 is engageable with the inner surface of the insole rib 6 which ispusually reinforced with canvas 3, and constitutes the inside surface of the inseam. It willbe noted that the rib guide 52 touches only the riband not the bottom of the insole, contrary to the constructions found in the above-mentioned prior machines. Contacting the insole, however, is the depth gage 54; The above briefly mentioned elements of the guiding and feeding mechanisms each will be explained in. more detail. hereinafterand their cooperationkexplained more fully.

The cylindrical feed wheel 48, which engages the flesh side of the welt to impart feeding motion to a shoe,

is spaced inwardly of the machine from the lowest point of the knife and is journaled in a bearing fixture 56, Figs. 2, 3 and 4,- which is adjustable on the machine frame 30 in order to change the position of the feed wheel 48 relative to the cutting edge of the knife and to vary the angular relationship of its axis of rotation 49 relative to the plane P containing the knife edge and to the direction of feed (see Fig. 6). The bearing fixture 56 comprises a hollow bearing 58 secured tothe top of a horizontally extending plate 60 which rests on the upper surface of a supporting platform 62 which in turn is attached directly to the machine frame 30. The supporting platform 62 has formed on it an upstanding curved rib or guideway 64 mating with, a complementary groove in the" under surface of the plate 60. The guideway 64 conforms to the arc of a circle and has a concentric slot 66 formed in it. Passing through the plate 60 on either side of the bearing 53 are clamp bolts 68 which extend downwardly through the slot 66. The bolts have nuts on their lower ends so that the plate 60 may be clamped in desired position on the platform 62. By unclamping the bolts 68 the bearing fixture 56 may be moved along the guideway 64 to a desired position. On the front face of the supporting platform 62 appears a scale 70, Fig. 4, whereby the operator may determine at a glance the exact angular relationship of the feed wheel axis 49 relative to the plane P of the knife edge. Mounted on the bearing fixture 56 is a support 72 for a wheel guard 74 partially surrounding the cylindrical feed wheel 48. to protect the operator from inadvertent contact with the knurled wheel. The wheel. guard audits; support have been removed from the machine in Fig. 3 for the sake ofclarity.

The feed wheel 48 is mounted on the forward end of a substantially horizontal shaft 76, Fig. 3, which is journaled in the bearing 58 the rearward end of the shaft 76 also extending out of the hearing. The shaft is rotatably driven by a second shaft 78 journaled in the machine frame in bearings 80 and secured in the bearings by a collar 82.- Mounted on the shaft 78 is a gear 84 meshing with a driving. gear 86 on the main driveshaft 32. Connecting the shafts 76 and 78 is a self-adjusting universal joint having links 90 and 92 connected for sliding movement relative to each other by means of a splined projection 94 on the link 92 entering a mating recess in the link 90, the; cross section of which is shown in Fig. 5. Asthe bearing fixture 56 is moved along the guideway 64 to various selected positions, the rear end of the shaft 76 moves in an arc toward or away from the forward end of shaft 78, the splined connection in the universal joint permitting. this movement while maintaining the shafts indriving. relationship with each. other.

The welt-crease guide 50 is mounted in the machine in the manner disclosed in the patent to Eppler and performs a similar functionandwill only be described briefly here. The guide 50 is journaled on a stud in the forward end of alever (Fig. 2) which pivots in the machine frame on a stud 102. Theguide is biased upwardly toward the cylindrical feed wheel 48 to grip the welt by means of a compression spring. 104 which bears upon the rearward end of the lever $00. To release the Weltcrease guide 50 from its gripping position, the operator depresses a treadle 106 which is connected to a treadle rod 108 extending vertically upward through the frame of the machine. An adjustable force transmitting lever 110 is mounted in the machine to pivot about a stud 112 when a lug 114, secured to the treadle rod- 108, bears downwardly upon its inner end, thereby causing the outer or rearward end of the lever to press the rearward end of lever 100 upwardly in opposition to the compressive ac tion of spring. 104. Thus, the welt crease guide 50 is pivoted. away from the feed wheel each time the treadle the machine for the insertion of an untrimrned shoe. it

will be noted in Fig. 2 that the lug 114 is located onthe treadlerod 108 adistance above the lever 110. This is 7 to permit the treadle rod to be moved a small distance vertically without its causing the welt-crease guide to release its grip during trimming for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The space between the welt crease guide 50 and the feed wheel 48 is initially adjusted to an amount just less than the thickness of the welt of the shoe to be trimmed by a screw 115 threaded in the force transmitting lever 110 and which bears against the machine frame 30. The more the screw is advanced toward the machine frame, the greater the space between the weltcrease guide 50 and the feed wheel 48.

In the machine of the present invention there is no mechanical limitation on how close to the welt or the stitch line 18 the inseam may be trimmed, since the feed wheel 48, being cylindrical, imposes no barrier between the knife edge and the welt, as in the prior rnachines. The welt is gripped very close to the knife edge between the welt-crease guide 50 and the cylindrical feed wheel 48 in a fixed predetermined position since these two elements have no motion when a shoe is being trimmed except rotation on their own axes. The knife is adjusted downwardly as close to the welt as the stitches will permit and it is also moved forward until the cutting edge lies' underneath a point a (see Fig. 6) on the feed wheel. As will be explained more fully hereinaftenthe distance above the stitch line at which the operator initially sets the knife will remain constant around the entire periphery of the shoe;

By setting the axis of rotation 49 (see Fig. 6) of the feed wheel at an actue angle with the plane P of the cutting edge of the knife rather than parallel to it, the welt is not only gripped more closely to the knife edge, but also its outer fibers, i. e., those farthest from the stitch line, are stretched to alleviate the aforementioned condition known as strapping, see Fig. 8 wherein the welt 5 curves around the upper leather 10. The desired position of the welt is shown in dotted lines. By being so set the cylindrical feed wheel exerts one component of force outwardly of the shoe, parallel to the knife edge, which effects the stretching, and a second component at right angles to the knife edge which feeds the shoe, the direction of feed being normal to the knife edge. The tendency of the cylindrical feed wheel to feed the welt normal to its own axis of rotation 49, rather than normal to the plane P of the knife edge, is counteracted by the frictional force exerted by the knife blade making the cut. This is possible only when the cut is made away from the welt as it is in the machine of the present invention rather than toward it as in the prior machines. It remains only for the operator to determine initially the desired angular relationship of the feed wheel axis and the knife edge for any given size or thickness of welt, which, once determined, remains constant for all shoes with the particular style and there after to make sure that the increment of inseam being trimmed is always fed at right angles to the knife edge.

' The rib guide 52 and its novel supporting mechanism will now be described. The rib guide (Fig. 7) is in the shape of an inverted frustum of a hexagonal pyramid and is mounted adjacent the lowest point of the cutting edge of the knife 20 at the bottom of a'pivotable bracket 122. This bracket is roughly of right triangular shape (Fig. 1) supported and pivoted horizontally about one leg and having the rib guide mounted at the intersection of the other leg and the hypotenuse. At its upper end, the bracket 122 is pivotally mounted on a sleeve 124 which is fixed in a portion 126 of the machine frame. The bracket 122 is movable along the sleeve 124, and motion is imparted to it by means of a movable shaft 128 axially alined with the sleeve 124 and threaded in another portion 130 of the machine frame. The outer end of the shaft carries a hand wheel by which the shaft 128 is turned and moved axially of the sleeve 124. A screw 136,, fixed in the bracket 122, enters a peripheral groove 134 in the shaft 128 so that when the shaft is moved axially by turning the hand wheel the bracket 122 slides along the sleeve 124 toward and away from the portion of the machine frame. The purpose for thus moving the bracket 122 is to adjust the rib guide 52 relative to the feed Wheel 48 and the knife edge. Once the adjustment has been made, a lock nut 131 on the threaded portion of shaft 123 is clamped against the portion 130 of the machine frame to prevent further movement.

Referring to Fig. 2, which shows the machine as viewed in the direction of feed, it will be noted that the shaft 128, and thus the sleeve 124 on which the bracket is pivoted, are located above the trimming knife, outwardly of the machine, i. e., to the left of the axis'of rotation 22 of the knife. The sleeve 124, the shaft 128, and the axis 22 of the trimming knife 20 are all parallel.

The rib guide 52 is rotated'at the lower end of the bracket 122 in an extension and is mounted on the lower end of'a drive shaft 142 (Fig. l) carrying a gear 144 on the end opposite the rib guide. Meshing with the gear 144 is a second gear 146 secured to the end of a second drive shaft 148 journaled in the main part of bracket 122. It will be noted that the axes of shafts 148 and 146 are parallel and form acute angles with the axis of rotation 22 of the trimming knife and the plane of its cutting edge for reasons to be explained hereinafter.

In order to adjust the rib guide 52 vertically, the extension 140 is movable toward and away from the main portion of the bracket 122 by means of an adjustable clamp slide 150 similar to that of the prior machines and not explained in detail here.

The shaft 148 is rotated by means of a bevel gear Y 154 meshing with a gear 156 mounted on the right-hand end of a two-part shaft 158 which rotates within the sleeve 124. The left-hand part of the shaft 158 is journaled in the portion 126 of the machine frame in a bearing 160 and the right-hand part in a bearing 162 in the. bracket 122. A splined connection 164 permits the bracket 122, including the right-hand part of the shaft 158, to be moved toward and away from its left-hand part, while maintaining the two halves of the shaft in force transmitting interconnection. The shaft 158 derives its rotation through a gear train comprising a beveled gear 166 meshing with a gear 168 mounted on a shaft 170 (Figs. 1 and 2) which is journaled in the machine frame and carries a. gear 172 meshing with a gear 174 on a downwardly extending shaft 176 deriving its motion from a bevel gear 178 meshing with a bevel gear 180 on the transverse shaft 42. It will be seen that the direction of rotation of the rib guide 52 imparted through this gear train will be counterclockwise, as viewed'in Fig. 6, since the direction of rotation of the shaft 42 is clockwise when viewed in Fig. 2.

As in the prior machines the pivotal motion of bracket 122 is controlled by a lever arm (Figs. 1 and 2) which also is free to pivot on the sleeve 124. Mounted on the forward portion of the lever 190 is a spring biased detent 192 (Fig. 1) of known construction, the tip 193 of which may enter one'of a plurality of holes 194, 196 and 198 in a plate 200 fixedly secured to the bracket 122. At its rearward end the lever 190 is attached to the treadle rod 108 by means of lock nuts 209. The bracket 122 may be held in one of three positions, (1) a lower or operating position when the detent is in the hole 194, (2) an upper or inoperative position when the detent is in the hole 196 in order that adjustments to the feedingmechanism may be made, and (3) in a still higher inoperative position when the detent is in the hole 198 in order that the knife may be removed or replaced. This mechanism is similar to that disclosed in the- Eppler patent. p

. Surrounding the upper end of the treadle rod 108, and

190 is rotated clockwise about the sleeve 124 (Fig. 2).

and when the treadle is released, the spring 206 causes lever arm 190 to pivot counterclockwise. This moves the rib guide 52 inward and upward: to a position adjacent the feed wheel 48, as explained more fully hereinafter. The uppermost position of the treadle rod 108 is limited by an abutment plate 208 securely fixed on the rod which strikes the lower surface of the stationary strut 202.

However, the rearward end of the lever 190 may be adjusted heightwise relative to the treadle rod 108 by means of the lock nuts 209. Thus it will be seen that as the treadle 106 is depressed the rib guide 52 immediately pivots away from feed wheel 43; however, the welt-crease guide 50 does not pivot downwardly away from the feed wheel 48 until the lug 114 comes in contact with the lever 110. For reasons to be explained more fully hereinafter, the rib guide 52 may move away from the feed wheel without the welt crease guide loosening its grip upon the welt of the shoe.

A knife guard 210 is mounted on the bracket 122 by means of a right angular plate 212 bolted to the bracket 122. The knife guard is mounted for adjustment heightwise of both the bracket 122 and the knife 20 by means of conventional screw and slot connections 214 in the plate. Mounted at the lower end of the knife guard and spaced from the rib guide 52 in a direction outwardly of the machine is the aforementioned depth gage 54 which contacts the insole of the shoe. The depth gage is secured to the knife guard 210 for adjustments inwardly and outwardly of the knife guard by meansof screw and slot connections 216 (Fig. 6). Thus it will be seen that the depth gage 54 may be adjusted both vertically and horizontally.

Fig. 8 illustrates a typical condition of the inseam after sewing but prior to trimming and welt beating. It will be noted that the upper leather 10, the insole rib 6, the reinforcing material 8 and the lining 12 are bent inwardly and overlie the insole 4. Also illustrated in Fig. 8 is the welt condition known as strapping, explained above. i

By inclining the rib guide 52 and the bracket 122 which supports it, toward the cutting edge or the knife 20, so that it forms an acute anglewith the shoe bottom and the plane P of the knife edge, the rib guide may be located closer to the knife than heretofore possible, be-

cause in the prior machines the bracket which supported therib guide vertically would be damaged by the knife edge if the knife were adjusted as closely to the rib guide as in the machine of the present invention.

The rib guide of the prior machines rotated on a verti cal axis resulting in a single horizontal component of P force acting on the inseam to fed the shoe. However, by inclining the axis of the rib guide 52 as herein illustrated, a second vertically upward component of force is applied to the inseam. Due to this additional upward component the bent over portions of the inseam (see Fig. 8) are now positively lifted" and are held erect during the trimming process (see Fig.7).

Because the knife 20 rotates toward the rib guide and away from the welt, the bending. of the inseam over the welt caused by the frictional force of the blade cutting through it, is eliminated. The rib guide' 52 lies in close proximity to the plane P of the knife edge and sup it ports the inseam in an erect position substantially radial of the knife and normal to the plane of the welt against the frictional force of the knife resulting ina cut made asnear parallel with the flesh side of the welt as the curved edge of the trimming knife will. permit. Any trimming flash which maybe produced accumulates on the inner sides of the inseam and since this area usually receives a deposit of filler material, any flash accumulw h feed wheel and the rib guide.

til tionwil-l net be objectionable as it intermingled withthe filler. As described heretofore and-,as" illustrated in Figs. 2

and 7 the bracket 122 which supports the rib guide 52.

is" mounted to pivot on: the sleeve 124 which is so located that the rib guide 52 moves in a concave are, upwardly toward and downwardly away from the feed wheel 48. During trimming the rib guide 152 is held above the lowest point on the arc yieldingly against the inseam by the spring 206, which is strong enoughto receive the force of the trimming knife 20 tending to push the rib guide to the left, as viewed in Fig. 7,, but not so strong as to resist the movement of the rib guide when the thicker portion of the inseam around the toe passes between the Instead of employing pivotal motion to move the rib guide 52 and the depth gage 54, as afforded by the bracket 122, the same results would be obtained if. the rib guide and the depth gage were mounted, for instance, in an inclined guideway (not illustrated) to be pressed upwardly toward and downwardly away from the feed wheel 43, in a rectilinear path.

The knife is adjusted to cut just above the stitch line 18 with the assurance that it will not sever the stitches or trim too high. This is because the height of cut is regulated from the welt where the stitch line is uniformly close to or flush with itssurface, rather than from the insole, since the stitchline around the toe of the shoe is farther from the marginal. feather line of the insole than it is along the sides of the shoe.

One necessary precaution is to assure that the shoe remains in a horizontal position during the entire trimming operation which in turnv assures the cut being made parallel to the welt. This is facilitated by the action of the depth gage 54 after the knife has. been adjusted to the proper position. with the shoe held horizontally. The depth gage is raised or lowered by adjusting the knife guard 210 until thegage justcontacts the insole. This adjustment need only be made once at the beginning. of a run of the same style shoe. The trimming. operation is then begun with the shoe held by the operator against thebottom. of the depth gage; When the thicker portion of the inseam around the toe of the shoe passes between the feed Wheel, the welt crease guide and the rib guide it will cause the rib guidetoyield against the force of spring 206, and since the lug. 114 on the treadle rod 108 is spaced above the lever 110 the welt crease guide 50 will not be caused to loosen its grip on the welt. In yielding to the left as viewed in Fig. 7 the rib guide 52 will pivot away from the feed wheel in a slightly downward arc. The depth gage 54 also mounted on bracket 122 pivots as a unit with the rib guide 52 downwardly to the left and depresses the shoe aslight amount. The process is reversed when. the second side of the shoe is reached where the inseam is thinner and the stitch line lower. This motion keeps the shoe horizontal to assume the cut being. made parallel to the Welt around the entire inseam. Were the depth gage 54 not to move downwardly in response to the increased thickness of the inseam the shoe would then be unsupported except as gripped along the welt and would require the skill of the operator to hold the shoe horizontally to assure that the inseam will be trimmed parallel to the welt. However, with the present construction it only remains for l the operator to support the shoe against the bottom of the depth gage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as i new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United face oi the inseam, a rotatable welt-crease guide shaped,

to enter the crease between the upper and the welt, a cylindrical feed wheel rotatable on an axis in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the knife, the feed wheel being engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the welt-crease guide, and means for rotating the feed wheel in a direction to feed the shoe toward the knife.

2. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe comprising a rotatable tubular knife having a peripheral cutting edge in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the knife, a rotatable'rib guide mounted adjacent to said cutting edge and engageable with the inner surface of the inseam, a rotatable welt-crease guide shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt, a cylindrical feed wheel rotatable on an axis in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the knife and forming an acute angle with the plane of the cutting edge of the knife, the feed wheel being engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the weltcrease guide, and means'for rotating the feed wheel in a direction to feed the shoe toward the knife, the angle between the axis of rotation of the feed wheel and the plane of the cutting edge of the knife being such that the welt is stretched outwardly of the shoeas the shoe is fed with the inseam normal to ,the plane of the cutting edge of the knife.

3. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe comprising a rotatable tubular knife having a peripheral cutting edge lying in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the knife, a rotatable rib guide mounted adjacent to said cutting edge and engageable with the inner surface of the inseam, a rotatable welt-crease guide shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt, a cylindrical feed wheel rotatable on an axis in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the knife and engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the welt-crease guide, and means mounting the cylindrical feed wheel for adjustment from a position wherein the axis of rotation of the feed wheel is parallel to the plane of the cutting edge of the knife to positions wherein the axis of rotation forms an acute angle with said plane whereby when the feed wheel is in the latter position the welt is stretched outwardly of the shoe as the shoe is fed with the inseam normal to the plane of the cutting edge of the knife.

4. A machine for trimming'the inseam of a welted shoe having in combination with trimming means, feeding means located in advance of the trimming means and comprising a driven feed wheel engageable with one side of the outlying margin of the welt of the shoe and presser means engageable with the other side of the welt whereby the feed wheel and presser means grip the welt between them and feed the shoe toward the trimming means, a rotatable rib guide engageable with the inner surface of the inseam, and means mounting the driven feed wheel for adjustment from a position wherein the axis of rotation of said driven feed wheel is normal to the direction of feed to positions wherein said aixs forms an acute angle with the direction of feed.

5. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe having in combination with trimming means, shoe guiding and feeding mechanism comprising a rotatable rib guide engageable with the inner surface of the inseam, a rotatable welt-crease guide shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt, a feed wheel engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the welt-crease guide, and means to urge the welt-crease guide toward the feed wheel whereby the Welt is gripped between the feed'wheel and the welt-crease guide to feed the shoe toward the trimming means, the trimming means comprising a tubular knife having a peripheral cutting edge adjacent to the guiding and feeding mechanism and means to rotate said knife in a direction to make a trimming cut progressing from the outside of the inseam inwardly toward. the surfaceengaged by the rib guide.

6. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe having, in combination, a rotatable tubular-knife having a peripheral cutting edge in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the knife, feeding mechanism comprising a rotatable welt-crease guide adjacent said peripheral cutting edge and shaped to enter the crease between the upper'and the welt and a rotatable feed wheel engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the welt-crease guide, means to press the welt-crease guide toward the feed wheel whereby the welt is gripped between the feed wheel and the welt-crease guide to feed the shoe toward the trimming knife, a rotatable rib guide engageable with the inner surface of the inseam opposite the welt wherebyrthe inseam is supported between the rib guide and the feeding mechanism, and means to rotate the rib guide on an axis forming an acute angle with the plane of the cutting edge of said knife whereby bent over portions of the inseam are lifted away from the shoe insole during the trimming operation.

7. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe with the bottom facing upward having, in combination,

means for trimming excess portions of the inseam, feeding means located in advance of the trimming means and comprising a driven feed wheel engageable with one side of the outlying margin of the welt of the shoe and means engageable with the other side of the welt for pressing it against the feed wheel whereby the feed wheel and presser means grip the welt between them and feed the shoe toward the trimming means, a rotatable rib guide engageable with the inner surface of the inseam on the side opposite the Welt, and means to rotate said rib guide on an axis inclined downwardly toward the trimming means, said axis forming an acute angle with the bottom of the shoe measured in the direction of feed whereby bent'over portions of the inseam are lifted away from the shoe bottom by the rib guide and the inseam is held erect during the trimming operation.

8. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe having, in combination, a trimming cutter rotatable about a fixed axis, feeding means located in a fixed position in advance of the trimming cutter, said feeding means comprising a rotatable feed wheel engageable with one side of the outlying margin of the welt of the shoe and presser means engageable with the other side of the welt to urge it against the feed wheel whereby the presser means and feed wheel grid the welt between them and feed the shoe toward the trimming cutter, a rotatable rib guide movable toward and away from said feeding means and engageable with the inner surface of the inseam opposite the welt, resilient means fortpressing the rib guide yieldably against said inner surface to urge the inseam toward the feeding means, an increase in thickness of the inseam causing the rib guide to yield and move away from the feeding means, and means constraining the rib guide for movement toward the axis of rotation of the trimming cutter as the rib guide moves toward the feeding means and away from said axis when it moves away from the feeding means,

9. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe having, in combination, a trimming cutter rotatable about a fixed axis, feeding means located in afixed position in advance of the trimming cutter, said feeding means comprising a rotatable feed wheel engageable 'Wlth one side of the outlying margin of the welt of the shoe and presser means engageable withthe other side of the welt tourge it against the feed wheel whereby the presser means and' feed wheel grip the welt between them and feed the shoe toward the trimming cutter, a rotatable rib guide movable toward and away from said feeding means and engageable .with the inner surface of the inseam opposite the welt,

resilient means for pressing the rib guide yieldably against] said inner surface to urge the inseam toward the feeding means, and increase in thickness of the inseam causing the rib guide to yield and moveaway from the feeding means, -means constraining' -the rib guide for movement toward the axis of rotation of the trimming cutter as the rib guide moves toward the feeding. means. and. away from said axis when it moves away from. the feeding means, and a-Sdepth gage operably connected to said rib guide and movable as a unit therewith, said depth gage being engageable with the bottom of the shoe whereby an increase in thickness of. the inseam causes the shoe to be moved away from the axis of rotation of the trimming cutter.

10. A machine for trimming theinseam of a welted shoe comprising a rotatable tubular knife having a pcripheral cutting edge in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the knife, a rotatable rib guide mounted adjacent to said cutting edge and engageable with the inner surface of the inseam, a rotatable welt-crease guide shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt, a cylindrical feed wheel rotatable on an axis in a plane parallel to the axis of rotatioir of the knife and forming an acute angle with the plane of the cuttingv edge of the knife, the feed wheel being engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the welt-crease guide, means for rotating the feed wheel in a direction to feed the shoe toward the knife, the angle between the axis of rotation of the feed wheel and the plane of the cutting edge of the knife being such that the welt isstretched outwardly of the shoe as the shoeis fed with the inseam normal to the plane of the cutting edge of the knife, and means to rotate the knife in a direction to make a trimming cut progressing from the outside of the inseam inwardly toward the surface engaged by the rib guide.

11. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe comprising a rotatable tubular knife having a peripheral cutting edge in a plane normal to" the axis of rotation of the knife, a rotatable rib guide mounted adjacent to said cutting edge and engageable with the inner surface of the inseam, means to rotate the rib guide on an axis forming an acute angle with the plane of the cutting edge of the knife whereby bent-over portions of the inseam are lifted away from the shoe insole during the trimming operation, a rotatable welt-crease guide shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt, a cylindrical feed wheel rotatable on an axis in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the knife and forming an acute angle with the plane of the cutting edge of the knife, the feed wheel being engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the weltcrease guide, and means for rotating the feed wheel in a direction to feed the shoe toward the knife, the angle between the axis of rotation of the feed wheel and the plane of the cutting edge of the knife being such that the welt is stretched outwardlyof the shoe as the shoe is fed with the inseam normal to the plane of the cutting edge of the knife.

12. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe with the bottom facing upward having, in combination, a tubular knife rotatable about a first substantially horizontal axis and having a peripheral cutting edge lying in a plane normal to said first axis, feeding means mounted adjacent the lowest point of said cutting edge and spaced from said lowest point in a direction inwardly of the machine, a rotatable welt-crease guide shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt, a cylindrical feed wheel rotatable on an axis in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the knife and forming an acute angle with the plane of the cutting edge of the knife, the feed wheel being engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the welt-crease guide, means for rotating the feed wheel in a direction to feed the shoe toward the knife, the angle between the axis of rotation of the feed wheel and the plane of the cutting edge of the knife being such that the welt is stretched outwardly of the shoe as the shoe is fed with the inseam normal to the plane of the cutting edge of the knife, a downwardly extending bracket pivotal about a second axis substantially parallel to and spaced above said first the inner surface of the inseam.

and engageable with the bottom of the shoe, and resilient means connected to the biacketto pivot saidbracket about said second axis to press the rib guide yieldably against 13', A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe having. in combination with trimming. means, shoe. guiding and feeding. mechanism comprising a rotatable:

rib guide engageable with the inner surface of the inseam, a rotatable welt crease guide shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt, a feed wheel engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on theside opposite the welt-crease guide, means to urge the welt-crase guide toward the feed wheel whereby the welt is gripped. between the feed wheel and the welt-crease guide to feed the shoe toward the trimming means, and means mount ing the feed wheel'for adjustment from. a position where in the axis of rotation of said feed wheel is, normal to the direction of feed to positions wherein said axis forms an. acute angle with the direction of feed, the trimming means comprising a tubular knife having a peripherai cutting edge adjacent to the guiding and feeding mechanism and means to rotate said knife in a direction to make a. trimming: cut progressing from. the outside of the inseam inwardly toward the surface engaged by the ribguide.

14. A- machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe with the bottom facing upward having, in combina= tion, means for trimmingexces's portions of the inseam,

feeding means located inadvance of the trimming means and comprisinga driven. feed wheel engageable with one side of the outlying marginof the welt of the shoe and means engageable with the other side of the welt for pressing it against the feed wheel whereby the feed wheel and. presser means grip the welt between them and feed the shoe toward the trimming means, means mounting the feed wheel for adjustment from a position wherein the axis of rotation of said feed wheel is normal to the direction of feed to positions wherein said axis forms an acute angle with the direction of feed, a rotatable rib guide engageable with the inner surface of the inseam on the side opposite the welt, and means to rotate said rib guide on an axis inclined downwardly toward the trimming means, said axis forming an acute angle with the bottom of the shoe measured in the direction of feed whereby bent-over portions of the inseam are lifted away from the shoe bottom by the rib guide and the inseam is held erect during the trimming operation.

l5. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe having, in combination, a trimming cutter rotatable about a fixed axis, feeding means located in a fixed position in advance of the trimming cutter, said feeding means comprising a rotatable feed wheel engageable with one side of the outlying margin of the welt of the shoe and presser means engageable with the other side to urge it against the feed wheel whereby the presser means and feed wheel grip the welt between them and feed the shoe toward the trimming cutter, and means mounting the rotatable feed wheel for adjustment from a position wherein the axis of rotation of said feed wheel is normal to the direction of feed to positions wherein said axis forms an acute angle with the direction of feed, a rotatable rib guide movable toward and away from said feeding means and engageable with the inner surface of the inseam opposite the welt, resilient means for pressing the rib guide yieldably against said inner surface to urge the inseam toward the feeding means, an increase in thickness of the inseam causing the rib guide to yield and move away from the feeding means, and means constraining the rib guide for movement toward the axis of rotation of the trimming cutter as the rib guide moves toward the 16. A machine for trimming the inseam of a welted shoe having, in combination, a rotatable tubular knife having a peripheral cutting edge in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the knife, feeding mechanism comprising a rotatable welt-crease guide adjacent said peripheral cutting edge and shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt and a rotatable feed wheel engageable with the outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the welt-crease guide, and means to press the welt-crease guide toward the feed wheel whereby the welt is gripped tions of the inseam are lifted away from the shoe insole.

duringthe trimming operation.

17. A machine for trimming the inseam of a Welted shoe having, in combination, a trimming cutter rotatable about a fixed axis, feeding means located in a fixed position in advance of the trimming cutter, said feeding means comprising a rotatable feed wheel engageable with one side of the outlying margin of the welt of the shoe and presser means engageable with the other side to urge it against the feed wheel whereby the presser means and feed wheel grip the welt between them and feed the shoe toward the trimming cutter, a rotatable rib guide movable toward and away from said feeding means and engageable with the inner surface of the inseam opposite the welt, means to rotate the trimming cutter in a direction to make a trimming cut progressing from the outside I between the feed wheel and the welt-crease guide to feed of the inseam inwardly toward the surface engaged by the rib guide, resilient means for pressing the rib guide yieldably against said inner surface to urge the inseam toward the feeding means, an increase in thickness of the inseam causing the rib guide to yield and move away from the feeding means, and means constraining the rib guide for movement toward the axis of rotation of the trimming cutter as the rib guide moves toward the feeding means and away from said axis when it moves away from the feeding means.

18. A machine for trimming the inseam of'a welted shoe having, in combination, a trimming cutter rotatable about a fixed axis, feeding means located in a fixed position in advance of the trimming cutter, said feeding means comprising a rotatable feed wheel engageable with one side of the outlying margin of the Welt of the shoe and presser means engageable with the other side of the welt to urgeit against the feed wheel whereby the presserrneans and feed wheel grip the welt between them and feed the shoe toward the trimming cutter, a rotatable rib guide movable toward and away from said feeding means and engageable with the inner surface of the inseam opposite the welt, resilient means for pressing the rib guide yieldably against said inner surface to urge the inseam 'toward the feeding means, an increase in thickness'of the inseam causing the rib guide to yield and move away from the feeding means, means constraining the rib guide for movement toward the axis of rotation of the trimming cutter as the rib guide moves toward the feeding means and away from said axis when it moves away from the feeding means, and means to rotate said rib guide on an axis forming an acute angle with the bottom of the shoe measured in the direction of feed whereby bent-over portions ofthe inseam are lifted away from the shoe bottom during the trimming operation.

No references cited. 

